SHAOLIN WAHNAM KUNGFU — COMBAT SEQUENCE 9
“HAPPY BIRD HOPS UP BRANCH”
Happy Bird Hops up Branch
How to Open the Way for Kicks
Having trained Combat Sequences 1 to 8 well, you should be competent to handle any striking attacks. The following four combat sequences, Sequences 9 to 12, provide you with fundamental kicking attacks and their defences.
As in strikes, kicks may come from anywhere but may be generalized into four main directions, namely:
- High
- Middle
- Low
- Sides
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| Poise Patterns | Black Tiger |
If all things were equal, it is disadvantageous to execute kicking attacks. The following are some important reasons.
- Kicks, especially high kicks, leave the groin dangerously exposed.
- Kicks are technically slow. One needs to make some prior bodily adjustment, like bending the body backward or lifting the kicking leg, before he can kick effectively.
- Consequently a skilful exponent often can tell before hand when his opponent is about to kick as the kicker normally telegraphs his intention by his bodily movements.
- When a person kicks, his balance is much affected.
- While a person executes a kick, his range of mobility is much reduced. For example, if you strike an opponent while he is kicking, it is difficult for him to move away.
- When executing a kick, the ability in using other parts of the body in simultaneous attacks is much reduced. For example, while you kick at your opponent, it is difficult to use your elbow to strike at the same time.
- After kicking, it takes time to recover before another movement can be effectively made.
- Kicks are generally less powerful than striking with internal force. (Many martial artists may be surprised at this fact. The main reason is that they are ignorant of internal force.)
Hence, before you use kicks, you must fulfill the following conditions.
- You must have practiced your kicks thousands of times so that you are skilful in using them.
- You must be familiar with the common counter-attacks your opponent is likely to response to your kicks, and you must know how to neutralize these counter-attacks.
- The combat situation is such that despite their innate setbacks, using kicks is advantageous.
- You must “open the way” so that you are safe and your kicks effective.
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| Fierce Tiger | Happy Bird |
Previously, the initiator used “Lohan Asks the Way” as the poise pattern, and the responder used right ”Single Tiger Emerges from Cave”. In Sequences 1 to 4, the initiator moved in with the left leg mode using “Black Tiger Steals Heart”, and in Sequences 5 to 8 he moved in with the right leg mode using “Fierce Tiger Speeds through Valley”. In all these previous sequences the responder responded with a left “Single Tiger Emerges from Cave”. In Sequences 9 to 12, both the initiator and the responder use “Lohan Asks the Way” as the poise pattern.
In this sequence, Sequence 9, you as the initiator employ pressing attacks to open the way, starting with “Black Tiger” and pressing in with “Fierce Tiger”. Then you purposely pause, leaving your left guard hand down to give a false exposure to tempt him to attack. Your opponent attacks with a right “Black Tiger Steals Heart”, which is a representative attacking pattern. In fact he may attack in almost any pattern and you can respond as follows.
As his attack approaches, slant your body backward and simultaneously execute a middle side kick with the pattern “Happy Bird Hops up Branch”. Unless he is well trained, he is likely to be hit.
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| Strike Drum | Enter Well |
You will notice that you are using the tactic of “no defence direct counter”. There is no need for any defence against his punch, because by slanting your body backward, you have moved yourself from his reach, but at the same time adjusting your body position or the middle side-kick.
If the space between you and your opponent is too wide for your right kick to reach, you would have to move your front right leg a small step backward, turn your body and execute a left side kick, using the same pattern “Happy Bird Hops up Branch” but with your left leg.
Your opponent retreat his front leg into a sideway Bow-Arrow Stance and strike your kicking leg with “Lohan Strikes Drum”. As you pull back your attacking leg, he follows up with a reversed palm thrust to your throat or ribs using the pattern “Dark Dragon Enters a Well”. You respond with “Golden Dragon Plays with Water”.
From this point, either of you can continue the combat, moving in with “Black Tiger Steals Heart” to continue with any of the Sequences 1 to 4, or with “Fierce Tiger Speeds through Valley” to continue with any of the Sequences 5 to 8.
In this practice, your opponent (or partner) falls into your trap and counter-attacks with a “Black Tiger” as you pause at “Fierce Tiger” leaving your body exposed. But what should you do if he hesitates or does not attack you. In this case, you move forward with a left thrust kick or a left side kick.
OVERVIEW
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| Poise Patterns | Black Tiger | Fierce Tiger |
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| Happy Bird | Strike Drum | Enter a Well |
LINKS
Other Combat Sequences
Hand Attacks- Combat Sequence 1: Black Tiger Steals Heart — Pictures
- Combat Sequence 2: White Snake Shoots Venom — Pictures
- Combat Sequence 3: Precious Duck Swims Through Lotus — Pictures
- Combat Sequence 4: Hang a Golden Star at a Corner — Pictures
- Combat Sequence 5: Fierce Tiger Speeds Through Valley — Pictures
- Combat Sequence 6: Dark Dragon Draws Water — Pictures
- Combat Sequence 7: Chop the Hua Mountain — Pictures
- Combat Sequence 8: Horizontally Sweep a Thousand Armies — Pictures
Leg Attacks
- Combat Sequence 9: Happy Bird Hops up Branch — Pictures
- Combat Sequence 10: White Horse Presents Hoof — Pictures
- Combat Sequence 11: Yellow Bird Plays with Water — Pictures
- Combat Sequence 12: Naughty Monkey Kicks at Tree — Pictures
Felling and Gripping Attacks
- Combat Sequence 13: Fell Tree with Roots — Pictures
- Combat Sequence 14: Lead Horse Back to Stable — Pictures
- Combat Sequence 15: Farmer Hoes Rice Field — Pictures
- Combat Sequence 16: Fierce Tiger Pushes Mountains — Pictures